Monte Carlos in Attendance

The 2017 Western Meet
by Aaron Dodsworth

This was our third Western Meet in Penticton, BC. It has become a popular location over the years for members to attend and we had a great participation again this year with 25 members, 15 of those members drove over 400 miles and 4 drove over 1,100 miles! There are some dedicated individuals in this club that show up to these meets and I really appreciate them taking the time to drive the distance.

Wednesday

Several members arrived beginning Wednesday afternoon. That evening we took the time to welcome the newer FGMCC brothers and sisters, and catch up with the regulars. It did not take long for members to start lobbying for the Hard Luck award. Kelly and Sandy showed up and Kelly informed us that he had locked his keys in the trunk including his only trunk key. He was very lucky he at least had an extra door/ignition key to allow him to complete the trip to Summerland. A group of us worked on pulling out the rear seat to navigate a screwdriver taped to a golf club through his trunk full of luggage to pop the trunk lid. After some time Kelly was successful.

During the evening we were also notified by Kevin and Sandy that their 1970 Monte Carlo had electrical/ignition issues during their trip and were stuck in a town a few hours away. They would eventually arrive two days later after getting the issue repaired.

Thursday

I took everyone on a cruise through some back roads through the valley and around Skaha Lake. Some twisty roads led us to a stop at Yellow Lake to stretch our legs and from there we took advantage of the scenic photo opportunities of members by their cars before continuing to the beach in Okanagan Falls. The park by the beach was a great place for our picnic lunch while taking in the view of the mountains surrounding Skaha Lake. After lunch it was time for some wine tasting at Noble Ridge winery which was a short drive away. In addition to the wine tasting the winery also offered a stunning view of Vaseux Lake from their garden. We continued our drive back North to Summerland Sweets for some ice cream before going back to the hotel.

More members arrived throughout the evening and stacks of pizza were delivered for the club. The hotel was now full of Monte Carlos and club members and we had a lot of laughs. It is always great to see old friends and meet some new ones.

Friday

The Peach City Beach Cruise event included a cruise through Naramata stopping at several of the wineries in the area and taking in the view of Okanagan Lake. It was another fun cruise day with fantastic weather. Back at the hotel we spent the remainder of the day relaxing by the pool. It is always a good time with this group.

Saturday

Early Saturday morning we arrived at the car show held in Penticton along the beach of Okanagan Lake. There were 22 Monte Carlos in our group all parked together on the grass as we settled in for the day. In addition to the 800 cars lining the beach there was a classic car auction, farmers market and live entertainment throughout the day. There were several other car clubs who came to the event in big numbers also.

Dennis Gage was at the show filming an episode of My Classic Car. The chances of one of our cars being chosen as a feature car for TV show out of the 800 cars in attendance is pretty remote but Dennis spotted our group and stopped to take a look. He eventually zeroed in on Matt’s Gulf Green 1972 Monte Carlo and they set up for an interview. The My Classic Car episode featuring the Peach City Beach Cruise and Matt’s Monte Carlo will air in 2018.

We returned to the hotel in the afternoon once again to unwind and reflect on a great day at the show.

Sunday

It was a relaxed Sunday morning as the Peach City Beach Cruise awards did not start until lunch time. This event has many classes and even includes a Monte Carlo class when the FGMCC attends. Congratulations to Pat Trottier and Robert Calderon who won 1st and 2nd place in the Monte Carlo Class.

The FGMCC awards banquet was held at Santorini’s Restaurant in Summerland in the late afternoon. We presented the 13 categories of awards as voted by the members the day before and gave away a table full of door prizes before having our dinner.

We had one last night sharing stories and laughs in the hotel parking lot. The owner of the hotel liked us so much he bought us beer and it was ready for us in the cooler by the pool. As the evening continued it was time to accept that the meet was coming to an end. We all said our goodbyes and look forward to getting this “family” back together again at future meets.